“It’s like having a friend in Venice who can take you around for the day,” says Marco Giol, describing the customized tours that he offers through his firm Private Venice. As a prominent native Venetian, Giol capitalizes on his extensive local network to introduce clients to a hidden Venice that few tourists will ever see.

For its recent grand re-opening after a 15-month, $55 million restoration, The Gritti Palace tapped Giol to arrange a variety of exclusive experiences for guests of the event. One evening, the owners of the Palazzo Gheltoff Alvera, a Gothic-style 16th-century Venetian palace on the Grand Canal, hosted an intimate home-cooked dinner. Private Venice can also organize a day of shopping with the chef of the Rialto fish and vegetable market to prepare for a cooking class in a palazzo with its chef-owner. Your guide can lead you off the beaten tourist path to sample cicchetti (traditional Venetian snacks) at local spots such as Cantinone da Schiavi, a neighborhood bacaro (wine bar). Or you can book a fishing trip in the Lagoon or visit local farms, vineyards, and wine cellars.

Art is another popular theme for enthusiasts who wish to take painting classes or meet with art dealers and collectors in their homes to view private collections or special pieces, such as two enormous sculptures by Venetian master Antonio Canova that reside in another private Grand Canal palazzo.

Lucia Tito, the grandaughter of the renowned Venetian Impressionist painter, Ettore Tito, delights in sharing her grandfather’s works, which line the walls of her Grand Canal home. Her father, who was not a painter, spent years collecting them from around the world. Giol points out a chair in a corner of the living room that can also be seen in a painting in the same room. “These people get a lot of satisfaction in showing what they preserve, and that is the main reason why some like to do it,” he says. “What’s nice is being received by the owners, it’s a very special and authentic experience.” Even those who have visited La Serenissima many times will discover something fresh and fascinating, in addition to perhaps making a new Venetian friend.